


people die and leave their names

by foreverautumn



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Forbidden Love, I don't know what to tag to not spoil everything, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-05
Updated: 2013-09-05
Packaged: 2017-12-25 16:33:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/955335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverautumn/pseuds/foreverautumn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Who are you?" he whispers, not letting himself say 'what' - he won't say 'what', because there's no way that this boy in front of him is anything other than a boy.</p>
<p>(AU where Levi meets an odd boy, and they slowly get to know each other.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	people die and leave their names

Sometimes Levi sees a boy. He looks a little younger than Levi himself, though a bit taller, with messy brown hair and large eyes. He doesn't think anything of him, really; he just happens to notice the boy in the park on the days he bothers paying attention to the people around him.

Today, though, Levi can't help but take a closer notice of him than usual. It's the boy's own fault, since he has his chin rested in his hand and is staring right at Levi, so it's only natural to expect that Levi will in turn look at him.

As his eyes meet another pair, there's no change in the boy's expression. It's when Levi's gaze lingers that the boy's brows furrow, and Levi's not quite fond of that expression, so he looks back to the book in his hand.

When he glances up a few minutes later, the boy is no longer there.

\--

After this, Levi finds that the boy stares at him quite often. It's kind of annoying, but Levi isn't really in the mood to get in a confrontation over it, so he tries not to get roped into a staring match.

Despite his efforts, it ends up happening unintentionally, anyway. A young girl trips just a few feet in front of him and starts wailing, and Levi watches as her mother hushes her and scoops her up. His eyes follow them momentarily before meeting the pair he's been trying to avoid.

He's not sure why, but the longer they look at each other, the less he wants to look away. The boy is frowning, and starts to squint a little, and Levi cannot help tilting his head to the side questioningly. The boy follows his motion, and, mildly irritated, Levi does an imitation of the squinted gaze directed at him.

This startles the boy so much that Levi isn't quick enough to stifle his smile, and as he averts his eyes to the pages of his book for just a moment, he somehow knows when he looks up again, that the boy will be gone.

\--

Levi most certainly doesn't make it a point to look for the boy; he doesn't make it a point to think about him at all. But even though he tells himself this, his eyes always scan his surroundings of their own accord until they spot the person he is most assuredly not looking for.

And if it looks like the boy's eyes might light up, like he leans forward just the slightest in interest at the sight of Levi, that's obviously a figment of his imagination.

\--

It's one day when he's not alone, instead sitting next to his friend Erwin on the bench, that he realizes the boy isn't around. Levi looks around carefully, failing to be subtle about it; Erwin asks him if he's alright, but Levi dismisses his concern.

He feels bothered, though he can't think of a reason why he should. Erwin seems to sense his souring mood after a bit and suggests they go for something to eat. Levi agrees, for there's no reason he shouldn't.

He lingers just a tad, Erwin walking on ahead of him, and tries to clear his head.

"Excuse me."

Levi hears someone speak quite suddenly, and turns to his left; to his surprise, the boy is standing there. If he thinks he is surprised to see him, then the boy must be absolutely stunned to see Levi, with the way his eyes widen til his eyebrows disappear into his bangs.

"Levi, what are you doing?" Erwin calls from up ahead, and Levi realizes Erwin's all the way to the street corner and waiting for him.

He turns back to the boy to ask him what he wants, but he's not there. Levi's lips thin, and he wonders why he'd expect anything else.

\--

Levi doesn't see him again for a long time after that, and he replays their last interaction in his mind more times than he can count.

He's annoyed at himself for his growing obsession but moreso with the boy; he's the one that started this whole strange thing with his constant staring, and now Levi's the one who has to lie in his bed at night unable to sleep.

\--

The restlessness gets to be too much for him one night, and Levi throws on his shoes and coat, feet carrying him to the park without his mind making the conscious decision to go there.

His heart lodges in his throat when he sees him, sitting there like there's nothing unusual about it, and when he looks up, when he spots Levi, his eyes widen, keep getting wider and his hands twitch as Levi walks right up to him.

The boy looks breathless, and Levi feels just the same, and he wants to say something but he can't find the words. After a few moments, the boy stands, and Levi looks up into his eyes, still at a loss for what to do.

"You really can..."

His skin tingles in a way he's not used to as the boy speaks, and Levi watches with curious eyes as he hesitantly continues. "You can see me, can't you?"

Levi frowns slightly at the nonsensical statement and asks quietly, "You're right in front of me, aren't you?"

The boy looks ready to fall over, and Levi would laugh if the reaction weren't so confusing. "You are here, right?" he asks instead, reaching tentative fingers out to touch. "I'm not imagining you, am I?"

Levi's fingers stop just in front of the boy's chest as he honestly considers for the first time that perhaps he's having some sort of hallucination. The thought fades away as a warm hand gently takes his, and Levi barely has time to come to grips with the fluttering in his stomach when the boy says, "No, but... you shouldn't be able to see me."

"Why not?" Levi stares wonderingly at their lightly joined hands, his heart thrumming.

He doesn't receive an answer, and when he raises his eyes to look at the boy's face again, he's met with a mix of curiosity and wonderment that makes him squeeze his fingers a little tighter around the hand in his own.

"Who are you?" he whispers, not letting himself say 'what' - he won't say 'what', because there's no way that this boy in front of him is anything other than a boy.

At this question, the boy frowns, looks conflicted, and Levi vows he won't look away this time, won't let him slip between his fingers before he gets an answer.

"I-- You should--" the boy falters, pulling his hand away, and Levi tries not to let the disappointment show on his face.

"Tell me," he insists, and he almost bites his lip when those eyes meet his again head on, this time burning, shining, almost otherworldly--

"Who are you?" He can barely hear the sound of his own voice, his heart beating loudly in his ears.

The boy draws himself up to his full height and keeps that fiery gaze fixed on Levi, and Levi's mind swirls, his hands feel sweaty even though it's cold outside, and he's afraid and exhilarated all at the same time. Levi's breath leaves him unexpectedly at the outlandish words that leave the boy's lips.

"I am Death."

It's the last thing Levi hears before the world goes black.

\--

When he regains his senses, little by little, Levi is aware that he's flat on his back, and it's cold, quite cold, though his head feels warm.

He opens his eyes slowly, the first thing coming into focus a concerned face above his own. Levi realizes that his head is in the boy's lap and there's a hand on his forehead, and the explanation he's ready to demand dies in his throat.

"Are you okay?" comes the worried question, and Levi tries valiantly to process everything that's just happened.

"Am I... dead?" he asks finally, voice cracking just a little. He doesn't expect the laugh he gets in response, and frankly he's rather offended; Levi moves to sit up, his head spinning, and he sees that they're still in the park, at least.

"No, no," the boy says, still sounding amused. "You just fainted."

Levi freezes, fingers stilling over his temple. "Fainted?" he repeats.

"Yes, it was quite sudden," the boy replies, shuffling a little as he pulls his legs closer to his body. "Your eyes just sort of... rolled up and then you went down."

It's incredible the amount of embarrassment that Levi feels at this statement, and he wills the burning in his ears away. "I didn't faint," he says tersely, rubbing at his eyes so he doesn't have to look at that amused expression.

"Well, passed out. Whatever makes you feel better."

Levi grimaces as he feels the burning resume in his ears. When he drops his hand and glances back at the boy, he finds he's being watched, which isn't too surprising at this point, he supposes.

"If you're..." Levi starts, fumbling for words. "Are you... here to kill me?"

Those eyes widen as the boy shakes his head quickly. "No, I don't kill people," he says matter-of-factly, and Levi can only stare.

"But, you said you're..."

A nod. "Yes, but that's completely different. Just because I'm Death doesn't mean that I kill people."

Levi's brows furrow, and the boy explains, "I only take those who are ready to die. I don't control the circumstances, and I certainly don't cause anyone's demise."

Levi doesn't have anything to say to that, so he stares at his hands. He cannot bring himself to think of this boy as Death, which spurs his next question. "What's your name?"

The boy looks confused. "I told you, I--"

Levi cuts him off, not wanting to hear him say it again. "No, I mean, besides that. Do you have a name?" He pauses. "A name that I can call you."

There's a sad look in the boy's eyes, and after a moment he replies wistfully, "Yes, I have a name. But it's been so long since I've used it that I've forgotten."

Levi doesn't like that expression at all, so he asks, "Well, what would you like to be called?"

The boy looks startled, but then he smiles. "Your name is Levi, right? Your friend called you that, didn't he?"

There's a strange rush of warmth in his chest when the boy says his name, but Levi tries to ignore it. "Yeah, my name is Levi."

"Well, then I would like to be called Levi too," the boy says, smile widening, and Levi feels his face heat up in embarrassment.

"That's-- you can't, that's too weird," Levi mumbles, uncomfortably aware of the color in his cheeks.

The boy looks crestfallen, and Levi almost takes it back, but then those eyes light up again. "Okay, but then, you should choose!" His expression is warm, and Levi tries to quell any further embarrassment when he continues, "Whatever you pick, that is what I will call myself."

Faced with this sudden burden, Levi shifts awkwardly and scratches at the back of his head. "I really... I don't know what to say."

It's quiet, and he looks back up again. His lips seem to move of their own accord. "I want to know your real name, not give you a fake one."

"Why is it so important?" the boy asks, and Levi takes a moment to consider his answer.

"Because I..." He struggles to put it in a way that doesn't sound stupid, but he fails anyway. "Because I want to know you."

The boy looks surprised, and then happy, his smile almost bashful and his eyes shining, before he bites his lip. "That's-- I'd like that, but I... I still don't know why you can even see me. I mean..." The happy expression melts away, and his brow furrows as he bites at his lip again. "I'm not meant to interact with people like this. I'm not sure what all of this means."

"I don't know either," Levi says honestly, and he's not sure what possesses him to do it, but he blurts out perhaps the corniest thing he's ever said in his life. "Maybe... we were meant to find each other."

"What?" the boy replies, his voice low and skeptical; Levi tries not to scowl.

"Why were you watching me?" he asks instead, changing tactics.

The question seems to catch him off guard, and he stammers, "Well, I-- I suppose I--" And then he smiles, and reaches out a tentative hand for Levi's. "I wanted to know you, too."

\--

Levi manages to convince himself that it'd all been a vivid hallucination, but he goes back to the park the next night anyway. The boy is there, and when his whole face lights up as he greets Levi by name, Levi knows that he's in trouble.

\--

It's surreal, at first; every night Levi walks to meet the boy, he doesn't fully expect him to be there. He always is, though, always with a smile, and Levi isn't sure if he waits there every night or if he just somehow knows when Levi will turn up. He's afraid to ask, so he doesn't.

He asks other things, though, things he can't help but be curious about.

"How long have you been like this?" Levi's voice is muffled in his scarf, but it's far too cold to pull it down.

The boy looks up thoughtfully to the sky, and it's some time before he answers. "I'm not sure, I don't... have a concept of time, really. For as long as I can remember."

Levi nods, and doesn't bother with any more questions tonight.

\--

"Are there others like you?" It's something else that Levi's burning to know. It's baffling to think there could be an army of beings called Death roving the earth, while wearing the face of humans, no less.

"Not that I know of," the boy replies. "I don't believe that the world needs more than one Death, so perhaps that is why."

He turns to look at Levi after a moment, and the smile that curls his lips is small but genuine. "On the other hand, I am certain that there is no one else like you."

Levi believes more than anything that he should be afraid of this boy, afraid of everything about him, but the feelings in his chest don't seem to resemble that at all.

\--

The cold is not as biting this evening, and Levi knows that spring is on the horizon. He's left his scarf behind but still has gloves covering his hands, and he rubs them absentmindedly together.

"Do you think that you're supposed to pass your powers on to me, or something like that?"

The boy looks extremely confused at that question, and Levi explains, "In shows and books it seems like that sometimes happens." He shrugs, not particularly believing the idea himself, but neither of them have been able to come up with something better.

"I don't think so," he replies slowly, apparently considering it carefully. "I don't think it works like that."

It's quiet, and Levi's surprised to find that it's tense, perhaps for the first time he can remember between them.

The boy's tone is solemn when he speaks again, and Levi understands why. "I wouldn't do that to you."

\--

"What do you like to do?" Levi asks one time. "Do you sleep, or read, or dance...?"

It sounds a little stupid when it's stated like that, but the boy laughs and flashes him a grin. "I would like to learn how to dance, you know! I've never had a partner, though." Levi can predict the next question, but can do nothing to quell the burn in his ears despite it. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Levi rolls his eyes and presses his hands further into his pockets, noting idly that he shouldn't have put his gloves away yet, if he's going to continue with these nighttime excursions.

"What if someone walked by and saw me dancing with the air?" he replies sullenly, and receives another laugh.

"Well, I suppose you're right. But you should try it sometime, Levi, it could be fun."

Levi considers it. "Maybe."

But the more he does consider it, he finds he doesn't want to do it if it's not--

"Hey, you're getting that crease between your eyebrows again," the boy chides, and Levi huffs, though it doesn't sound as exasperated as he knows it should.

\--

Levi glances down in poorly hidden distaste at the boy sprawled out on the grass, his face scrunched up in contemplation; apparently he doesn't notice Levi's glare from his perch on the bench, too focused on what Levi's just suggested.

"Nah," he says finally, shifting his arms to prop up his head.

Levi slides one of his legs to stretch along the bench, shuffling his discarded jacket out of the way. If the boy is going to insist on rolling around on the ground, Levi may as well make himself comfortable. He thinks for another couple of moments, then offers, "How about Charles?"

"Definitely not," is the quick response, coupled with a noticeable frown.

Levi stifles a yawn, lifting his arm to scratch at his neck to hide it. It's quite late, he knows, but he doesn't want to think about leaving yet. He's feeling like this more and more often, lately, but he tries not to think about that either.

"Out of ideas?"

He glances down to see the boy looking at him, and Levi rolls his eyes. "Hardly. There are millions of names to pick from, I'm just taking my time."

"Yeah, okay." It's almost teasing, and Levi looks away in annoyance.

They've somehow gotten into the habit of trying to find out the boy's name. It's not a concentrated effort of digging into long-forgotten memories or anything like that; morelike Levi suggests any name that come to mind and they see if anything clicks.

Nothing has, to this point, anyway.

"Gertrude."

"That's a woman's name!" the boy cries, craning his neck at an awkward angle to perhaps make his glare look more intimidating, but it only ends up closer to comical.

Levi forces back a smile. "Still. I think it could work for you."

"Ehh, be quiet," is the good-natured reply. "Still, I don't know why this is so important, anyway."

Levi shifts a little, unable to stop a frown. He doesn't know how to put it into words, but it is important, and the boy knows it. Levi doesn't like when it's brushed aside, but he doesn't want to talk about it, so he holds his tongue.

That is, until he lets out a mighty yawn, jaw popping with the force of it.

He knows this is the end of it for tonight, the boy sitting up in the grass, already blabbering about Levi going home and getting some sleep.

Levi sighs, stretching as he stands. He grabs his jacket, and, on a whim, places his hand on the messy hair atop the boy's head. The strands are cool to the touch, and his breath catches in his throat for a moment before he says, "See you."

The reply he receives is barely more than a mumble, and Levi smiles the whole way home.

\--

"I think maybe I'm dying."

Levi's neck almost cracks audibly with the way he jerks around to look at the boy beside him. "That makes no sense," he replies slowly, struggling to form the words around the ugly ball growing deep in the pit of his stomach, because it doesn't - how can a boy calling himself Death die?

"Ah, I know it sounds strange... but, maybe my powers are fading away. Maybe that's why."

He doesn't explain what 'why' he's speaking of. Levi knows it's because Levi can see him, talk to him, has been for many months now.

"I feel... different," the boy continues, still looking straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" Levi's voice comes out in a whisper, but he's afraid to speak any louder.

"I can't explain it. But I think I'm right."

Levi feels cold, even though it's a warm night, and he stares down at his hands. "You're not," he says, and it sounds childish, petulant to his own ears.

It's quiet, and then the boy smiles, and it's not as strained as Levi expects it to be. "Maybe not," he concedes, finally turning to face Levi; his face changes instantly, eyes, eyebrows, lips, all softening. "Don't make that face."

Levi's startled at that, and his lips part before he regains himself, rushes to school his expression.

There's a warm hand covering his, thumb stroking gently against his knuckles. Levi's heart is racing in a way that's all too familiar, but he doesn't pull away.

He's not sure what face he'd been making, but for the look he'd gotten in return, it must've said too much.

\--

He's able to forget, after some time. Levi doesn't let himself think about the possibility of the boy dying, because it's actually quite impossible. He plays through all kinds of different scenarios in his head, and in none of them would it make sense for Death to die.

Levi's glad that the topic isn't brought up again.

\--

But maybe he shouldn't have dismissed it - maybe he should've taken the time to think about it, to say the things he wants to say, just in case.

Because now the boy is gone, without a word, without any explanation, and for a week Levi sits through the night on the hard bench and still the boy doesn't come.

\--

It takes three weeks for Levi to acknowledge that the boy isn't coming back. Whether it's simply by choice or something else, he'll never know for certain, but the empty feeling in his chest is there just the same.

Levi knows. He knows why the boy isn't coming back, but he can't think about it.

He decides after three months of being unable to sleep, of jumping at every head of messy brown hair that passes him, of feeling sick to his stomach whenever he so much as imagines the boy's face, that this isn't what the boy would want.

He'd most assuredly make some quip about Levi's constant frowning and furrowed brows, and how he needs to lighten up and enjoy himself.

Levi knows this, but it's easier said than done.

\--

What he decides next is that he needs to get away. He studies abroad, immersing himself in his work and his new environment. It's perfect, everything he needs, and by the end of the six months he's there, Levi feels like the boy had just been a dream - something his mind had conjured up to provide him with something he'd needed at the time.

The fuzzy memories are private, locked away, almost like a secret from another lifetime. It's not so bad when he thinks about it that way.

It'd been a long dream, and it's time to wake up.

\--

Levi takes to studying abroad more and more, and he meets a nice girl with a lovely smile and a wit to rival his own. They get on well, and Levi thinks that maybe this is where he's supposed to be in his life.

She stays abroad for the two weeks in between semesters, but Levi has to return back home briefly to attend Erwin's birthday party; he'd promised months ago, after Erwin's insistence that he come after 'running around the globe for the past two years'.

Levi's so wrapped up in everything that's going well for him that he's been able to forget, but the moment he steps off the plane he feels like the wind's been knocked out of him.

He staggers to sit down, unable to look for Erwin just yet. Instead all he can see in his mind is a soft smile and messy hair and big eyes, and by the time Erwin comes across him Levi's got his face buried in his hands.

\--

It doesn't work out between Levi and the girl, but their split is a mutual decision, and they remain friendly. Erwin jokes that Levi doesn't know a good thing when he sees one, and Levi agrees, even if he doesn't say it. She's a wonderful girl, wonderful for him, but it's just not meant to be.

He spends his last semester back home, and it's better now; he's not overwhelmed as easily with the thoughts and the memories that he's fought to forget. It truly feels like coming home, and he's glad for it.

\--

Levi graduates alongside Erwin, and within no time at all he secures himself a job. He enjoys the work, and knows he's lucky to have ended up at a place he can see himself staying at for the rest of his life.

He moves into a bigger space, and goes out drinking with his new coworkers at the end of almost every week.

Erwin meets a girl he's crazy over, and although their antics make Levi roll his eyes so much he's surprised they haven't rolled right out of his head by this point, he's truly happy for them. They're engaged after a whirlwind seven-month romance, and Erwin asks Levi to be his best man. He's honored, and tells Erwin as much.

Everything is falling into place, better than Levi could hope for. There's not a thing he can complain about.

Everything's perfect.

Everything's perfect, except for how it isn't.

But he doesn't think about it.

He's gotten good at that.

\--

It's a normal day, just the same as any other, and Levi's strolling along the pavement with two of his coworkers during their lunch hour. His jacket is slung across his arm and he's shuffling his coffee from one hand to the other when his eye catches something.

He tilts his head, searching for whatever it was, and as his eyes trail across the street, he finds himself suddenly unable to breathe.

It's impossible-- completely and utterly impossible, but Levi's eyes are telling him a different story, and he's almost tempted to rub at them.

"Levi?" a voice calls back to him, but Levi doesn't turn. Instead he throws his coffee and his jacket and doesn't let himself spare a second thought to anything else, because only one thing matters, and his heart, it feels like it's beating double its normal speed, but it's wonderful, and--

He doesn't care, doesn't care how he's going to explain why he's dropped all his belongings to the ground, why he's running across the street against the light, moving so quickly he almost trips over his own feet, why he's gasping as he throws his arms around nothing--

It's not nothing, it's everything he's wanted, needed, and it's real, it's warm, and warm arms wrap around his back as his own hands cling desperately to firm shoulders, and Levi feels his eyes start to sting, the burn traveling to the back of his throat where the words he wants so badly to say are stuck. He can feel the smile pressed into his neck, and he could almost die, maybe he is going to die, now, maybe that's what this is, finally, but he's not afraid, he only closes his eyes and breathes in as deep as he can.

It's not until he hears the alarmed voices not far away, not until he fully processes what they're saying - "Who is that?" "I don't know, I've never seen him before" - that Levi freezes.

The breath catches in his throat and his fingers dig in, hard, hard enough to hurt, and his mind is swirling with disbelief and a rush of hope he's terrified to let himself truly feel that he barely hears the word whispered softly in his ear. "Eren."

Levi pulls away, just enough so that he can see the face he's so longed to see, the one that's haunted and blessed him at the same time, and his brow knits in confusion as he tries to say something, but his voice still fails him, too overwhelmed by the kind smile, the adoring eyes, the feeling of his own heart trying to escape his chest, and the answering heartbeat pressed against him. The smile turns understanding, and clarification comes in the sweetest words Levi has ever heard.

"My name is Eren."

**Author's Note:**

> Did you think it was gonna have a sad ending? I THOUGHT ABOUT IT for like a minute but I couldn't do it.
> 
> Anyway, this was a strange idea I had when I tried to picture a supernatural(ish) AU, and I ended up having a lot of fun writing it. I apologize if it doesn't quite make perfect sense, but I think it makes just enough to enjoy the story. (At least, I hope so!)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!! :)


End file.
